Maryland's war on West Virginia

11/4/12 7:00 AM EST

The hallmark of the campaign to pass a ballot measure expanding gambling in Maryland is its unyielding focus on West Virginia.

Proponents of Question 7 argue that Maryland dollars are being lost to neighboring West Virginia’s casinos and that, without the addition of another casino and the legalization of table games, Maryland schools will suffer from the loss of potential tax revenues.

Against that backdrop, the Baltimore Sun reports on a letter from one top Maryland Democrat to another, accusing him of putting West Virginia first.

From the Sun:

Comptroller Peter Franchot proudly describes himself as Maryland's chief fiscal officer, but a senior state senator is accusing him of acting against the state's interests and promoting West Virginia's in the fight over expanded gambling.

Sen. James "Ed" DeGrange Sr. of Anne Arundel County sent a letter to his fellow Democrat Friday in which he chided the comptroller for his appearance in ads financed by Penn National Gaming to fight Question 7 on the Nov. 6 ballot. A yes vote could clear the way for a casino at National Harbor in Prince George's County, which Penn National sees as a threat to its casino in Charles Town, W. Va.

In unusually harsh terms, DeGrange calls the Penn national ads "deceitful" and charges that Franchot "contributed to the deceit."…

"Your false statement, run on Penn National ads, only serve the purpose of hurting Maryland taxpayers and protecting Charles Town," DeGrange wrote. "Your actions against the state of Maryland are totally outrageous. We are all aware of your ambition to be governor, but with your participation in these ads, it is confusing to me which state -- Maryland or in West Virginia -- that you are campaigning."

A late October Washington Post poll shows Maryland voters are evenly split on the measure, which not only pits one of the nation’s wealthiest states against one of the poorest, but also appears to pit state officials against each other in an effort to prove their Maryland bona fides.